Horizon Chase Turbo Review : First Place by a Long Shot

Retro inspired arcade racers are mostly a thing of the past. Long gone are the days of a riveting round of Top Gear on your SNES or feeding the arcade machine of Outrun quarter after quarter until all you have in your pockets are lint. With those days now just memories for 30 something year olds who grew up gaming, who is left to carry out this legacy? Is there anyone left that can scratch that nostaligic itch? Enter Aquiris Game Studio, the developer behind the new king of arcade racers Horizon Chase Turbo.

THE SCENIC ROUTE – VISUALS

The visuals in Horizon Chase Turbo are absolutely stunning. Aquiris Game Studio definitely took the right approach with the art direction. The vibrant colors and polygonal shapes really make the background pop. In fact there were times I was so entranced by the scenery that I missed a turn or crashed into something. (sure Tony, blame the scenery for your mistakes) If you’re anything like me you’ll be reaching for the screenshot button on the Switch more than once while playing Horizon Chase Turbo.

SWEET, SWEET JAMS – SOUND

Any 90s gamer can agree that some of the most iconic video game music are the tunes from Top Gear. There was always some so special about having that music in the background as you raced. The team at Aquiris Game Studio was able to bring that magic back by bringing on sound designer Barry Leitch who worked on Top Gear. Playing this game in handheld mode with headphones is the right way to truly enjoy the music and every background sound in Horizon Chase Turbo.

UNDER THE HOOD – GAMEPLAY

So you’re probably thinking to yourself “stunning visuals and sweet jams are nice, but how does it feel to play?” Well worry not dear gamer, Horizon Chase Turbo feels fantastic to control. The controls are incredibly tight with and that exactly what you want in a racer.

Horizon Chase Turbo features a campaign mode that takes you to races around the world. The addictive hook of the campaign is getting all the collectible coins, ending the race with gas and getting first place to get a super trophy. Now I’m not one to try and 100 percent games but this is one I’ll definitely putting a solid effort into it.

The new Playground mode will debut on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One version at launch and will come to the Playstation 4 and Steam version at a later date. Playground mode has you competing in 5 different races with various race rules and modifications. Playground mode will change up the races and rules each season making it perfect to keep racers coming back for more. Competing on leaderboards versus friends and globally is quite addictive.

Pros

tight controls

slappin’ jams

beautiful visuals

high replayability

Cons

no true online multiplayer, only ghost data and leaderboards

To the Finish line

Horizon Chase Turbo on the Nintendo Switch elevates the retro arcade racer genre to the next level. With it’s tight controls, sweet jams and stunning visuals it’s a game that will keep you coming back for more. Not since the days of Top Gear or Outrun has there been a racer so timeless. It’s a must have for title for any Nintendo Switch owner.

PLAY OR PASS ??

PLAY !

**Thank you to the developer Aquiris Game Studio for providing us with a copy of Horizon Chase Turbo for review**

Horizon Chase Turbo is out on the Nintendo Switch Now! Head HERE to get to its eshop page!